Tech / Special Interest → Electronics > Cable gauge

Cable gauge

I use 0 gauge neoflex welding wire for amp power.

at the very least, use the correct wire for power---NOT speaker wire. you can get a cheap amp power kit from any local stereo shop, including the proper fuse(s) and holder(s)

Thanks. I just thought I might as well use this wire since I don't have any use for it...i can buy 4g or other by the foot from this car audio place but I just thought I could help mother nature and not allow this to go to waste...but still be safe while doing it....

Here is the brand of the cable....»www.htd.com/Products/Speaker-and···-BW#more

I also would not mind learning a bit from a technical stand point.

Like someone giving me an example of a highway...four lanes one way four lanes another...during rush hour, if said one way was added another two lanes, would said way be less congested?

I like learning, helping myself, and helping mother earth too .

If you're using it for power, not freq delivery, I'd say use it.. If the cross-sectional area of the conductors in the cable meets the ampacity requirement, then go for it.

If you intend to carry a high amperage signal that has important frequency characteristics, then not so much.. I'd go with purchasing cabling that meets the requirements.

Just my 0.02$
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When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl.

I would be more worried about the sheathing on the cable wearing through and causing a fire.

That is similar to stating that stranded cables do not work.
NEC was written to prevent accidentally disconnecting some of the strands for other use.

Thanks guys for the information. After reading, I feel safe that I can get away with it by using it.

To be on the safe side, I will buy a low amp fuse and try this simple test....currently, (no pup intended) when my lights are on and my stereo is on, when I click on the door lock button, my lights dim.

So I will replace the factory cable with the speaker wire, if the lights don't dim, I will keep it, if they do, I will go buy 0g.

FWIW, back in my younger years (early teens) I also had a sound system in my car. I was going to work in the morning and a started my car. I forgot to lower the volume knob on it the previous day and I just got welcomed with loud music and bass.

I arrived at work (15 minute drive on the highway) and parked. After work, my car did not want to start. Amplifier fuse (the one on the 4g wire) was good...car fuses where good. Battery was dead though.

I got a jump start by a good person...car started...then cut off. This showed a sing of bad alternator...back then I was quite aware that a battery is only good for starting and alternator takes over after it starts and charges the battery.

At any rate, I ended up calling someone to get me home...

long story short, one of “big 3” cables had burnt right at the connection. It was the one coming from the alternator.

I could not see it because it had burnt inside the cable shield...until I moved it for some reason and it felt stiff...was suppose to be flexible.

Wow, I just remembered this...thanks for the info. Now it clicks that the “big 3” should have prevented this.

Twist all four cables and solder them together using small butane torch.

I didn't know the silver wires where actually silver coated until I read the specs. And on top of 99.99% (100%?) oxygen-free copper. Sounds high tech. I never even thought of copper having oxygen in it before.

nm

The problem with tinning the leads with solder prior to a compression connection is that over time, the mechanical connection will loosen, no matter how hard you crimp or tighten the screw, even multiple times, due to cold flow of the metal used in the solder. Use solder ONLY for wires that are being bonded to solder terminals.

You are supposed to flow solder into a heat expanded terminal AFTER crimping. Once it cools down, all the strands become part of a solid metal mass with the inner surface of the terminal.

P.S. You can buy cylindrical solder lugs which fit inside the terminals. There are also a terminals are pre-filled with solder. Both have sufficient amount of solder to flow around all the strands.

*** somewhat different instruction from John Luthy, Molex's connector product division manager:

Before crimping the terminal pin, tin the end of the bare wire with some solder (best method is to dip the wire end into a hot solder pot).

Crimp the terminal properly (see the notes above!) using a good quality hand crimper (Molex WHT-1921 part# 11-01-0015, Molex part# 63811-1000, or Amp 725).

After the wire is properly crimped, using a temperature controlled soldering station (750 degree maximum), heat the terminal pin momentarily, right where the tinned wire is crimped in the terminal pin. The tinned wire's solder should heat and reflow, spreading to the terminal pin. Do NOT add any additional solder!

actually, you get a much lower voltage drop by coating the wires in marine grease, and crimping them in high current applications. the marine grease don't dry out, and prevents oxidation, the crimping makes a copper to copper connection, which is superior to a soldered connection in high current situations. measure the lug to lug voltage drop on a soldered connection at 50 amps and greater load sometime!.

Let me throw some gas on the fire here, I didn't see where the actual current or power requirement was determined.

Yes there is almost always a better way to do things, but as for the OP's question, yes it will likely work just fine. I don't think he is going to be sending his car into space so we really don't need to go to NASA specs. Gee this one almost sounds like a "Home Improvement" thread

PS, check the price on hearing aids while your at it.. You'll need them soon.

Instead of all this fiddling and f_cking around; why not just use the right cable for the job? 2 x 14 ga + 2x11 ga of different materials? You'll never get a 'proper' conector installation on that setup...

You've gotten some decent advice in this thread, and some horrible advice, too...

What sort of draw are you expecting to pass, what's it fused at?

And I doubt it's cable voltage drop causing your lights to dim - have you got a capacitor or second battery in your setup? That's where I'd start at - the dim from the lock actuators is the extra load being thrown on the alternator, and the voltage regulator not being able to respond quickly enough...

I used to have a compitition car, back in my youger, wilder, less married, more money having days....